Dwarf
Once known for being fierce warriors and masters of stonecraft, dwarves have become preeminent businessmen and women in Torar. Still extremely hale, they have become shrewd merchants and craftsmen. Dwarf-made metalwork is renowned throughout Torar and is highly sought-after, and every dwarf knows how to take advantage of this demand. Personality Dwarves are as drawn to treasure and coin as ever in the past, but their newly acquired knowledge of trade has tempered their greed. Dwarves tend to look for the best deal and can spend quite a while deliberating and haggling before finally making a purchase or selling their goods. Dwarves still enjoy a good, strong ale when they can get one, and dwarf spirits and known to be some of the strongest many areas legally allow to be sold. Dwarves especially appreciate fine metalwork, and have been known to judge places they visit based on the local smith’s skill. As combatants, dwarves are stalwart and tenacious, fighting neither recklessly nor cowardly. Physical Description Dwarves stand only 4 to 4–½ feet tall, but they are so broad and compact that they are, on average, almost as heavy as humans. Dwarf men are slightly taller and noticeably heavier than dwarf women. Dwarves’ skin is typically deep tan or light brown, but can darken to an almost charcoal grey, and their eyes are dark. Their hair is usually black, grey, blonde, red, or brown, and worn long. Dwarf men value their beards highly and groom them very carefully. They keep their beards in decorative sheathes to prevent them from catching fire or withering while the dwarf is bent over a forge for hours. Dwarves favor simple style for their hair, beards, and clothes. Dwarves are considered adults at about age 40, and they can live to be more than 400 years old. Relations Dwarves get along fine with gnomes, with whom they share their home of Firemount, and passably with humans and lamni. Dwarves say, “The difference between an acquaintance and a friend is about a hundred years.” Humans, with their short life spans, have a hard time forging truly strong bonds with dwarves. The best dwarf-human friendship is often between a human and a dwarf who liked the human’s parents and grandparents. Dwarves fail to appreciate elves’ and moriedhels’ subtlety and art, regarding them as unpredictable, fickle, and flighty. Still, elves and dwarves have, through the ages, found common cause in battles against monstrous forces. Through many such joint campaigns, the elves have earned the dwarves’ grudging respect. Alignment Dwarves are usually lawful, and they tend toward good. Adventuring dwarves are less likely to fit the common mold, however, since they’re more likely to be those who did not fit perfectly into dwarven society. Dwarf Lands Dwarves, being the founders of the Scions of the Earth, live within their enormous volcano home of Firemount to the south of Lados. Grand halls and glittering passages are the mark of dwarven architecture, carved deep within the living rock of the volcano itself. Dwarves have come to use volcanic obsidian as their preferred adornment, though its abundance keeps its price low. They use the natural magma from the volcano to heat and power many of their forges and gnomish devices. Firemount has magnificent floating terraces above lava lakes, elevators to take occupants to upper and lower levels of the mountain, and many other wondrous, mechanical architectural marvels. Dwarves in other lands are typically merchants, weaponsmiths, armorsmiths, jewelers, and artisans. Dwarf bodyguards are renowned for their courage and loyalty, and they are well rewarded for their virtues. Religion The chief gods dwarves worship are Veloria, who embodies the elements of fire and earth within which dwarves live, and Meyne, who has always shown special attention to the smaller races. Language Dwarves speak dwarvish, which has its own runic script. Dwarven literature is marked by comprehensive histories of kingdoms and wars through the millennia. The dwarvish alphabet is also used (with minor variations) for the gnome, giant, goblin, orc, and terran languages. Dwarves often speak the languages of their friends and enemies. Some also learn terran and ignan, the strange languages of earth-based creatures such as xorns and fire-based creatures such as magmin. Names A dwarf’s name is granted to him by his clan elder, in accordance with tradition. Every proper dwarven name has been used and reused down through the generations. A dwarf’s name is not his own. It belongs to the clan. If he misuses it or brings shame to it, his clan will strip him forever of it. A dwarf stripped of his name is forbidden by dwarven law to use any dwarven name in its place. Male Names: Barendd, Brottor, Eberk, Einkil, Oskar, Rurik, Taklinn, Tordek, Traubon, Ulfgar, Veit. Female Names: Artin, Audhild, Dagnal, Diesa, Gunnloda, Hlin, Ilde, Liftrasa, Sannl, Torgga. Adventurers A dwarf adventurer may be motivated by crusading zeal, a love of excitement, or simple greed. As long as his accomplishments bring honor to his clan, his deeds earn him respect and status. Defeating giants and claiming powerful magic weapons are sure ways for a dwarf to earn the respect of other dwarves. Dwarf Racial Traits *+2 Con, +2 Cha, -2 Dex. Dwarves are clever and cunning merchants, and stout fellows, but are slow to react. *'Medium:' As medium creatures, dwarves have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size. *Dwarf base land speed is 20 feet. However, dwarves can move at this speed even when wearing medium or heavy armor or when carrying a medium or heavy load (unlike other creatures, whose speed is reduced in such situations). *'Darkvision:' Dwarves can see in the dark up to 60 feet. Darkvision is black and white only, but it is otherwise like normal sight, and dwarves can function just fine with no light at all. *'Weapon Familiarity:' Dwarves may treat dwarven waraxes and dwarven urgoshes as martial weapons, rather than exotic weapons. *'Berserking:' Dwarves, and only dwarves, may be encrusted berserkers. *'Volcanic Acclimation:' Dwarves have become accustomed to life among searing magma. They never suffer negative effects from nonmagical hot environments, never need to make Survival checks to find food or shelter in these climates, and never need to make Fortitude saves for being exposed to these climates. They simply are unaffected by the heat. This does not grant them protection from damaging environments or magical heat or fire in any way. *'Craftsman:' A dwarf only needs 1/4th of an item’s market value worth of materials to craft an item. A dwarf’s Craft check produces work measured in gold per day, rather than silver per week, if crafting a metal item. Dwarves know how to maximize the materials they have and have developed tricks of the trade that let them be extremely efficient at metalwork. *'Businessman:' When buying or selling goods, a dwarf may make a Diplomacy check resisted by a Sense Motive check. If the dwarf is successful, he may sell to that person for 2% per his level of the item’s market value more than the merchant was previously willing to pay, or he may purchase items from that merchant for 2% per the dwarf’s level less than the merchant was selling it for. This cannot cause a price change of more than 50% either way, and the check cannot be retried. Once a given person has been targeted by this ability, he may not be targeted by it again for 24 hours. The price change caused by this ability only lasts as long as the encounter with the target lasts. *'Stability:' Dwarves are exceptionally stable on their feet. A dwarf gains a +4 bonus on ability checks made to resist being overrun, bull rushed, or tripped when standing on the ground (but not when climbing, flying, riding, or otherwise not standing firmly on the ground). *+2 racial bonus on saving throws against poison: Dwarves are hardy and resistant to toxins. *+2 racial bonus on saving throws against spells and spell-like effects: Dwarves have an innate resistance to magic spells. *+4 racial bonus on Appraise checks that are related to metal items and gemstones: Dwarves are familiar with valuable items of all kinds, especially those made of metal and with precious gems. *+4 racial bonus on Craft checks that are related to metal and gemstones: Dwarves are especially capable with metalwork and with precious gems. *'Automatic Languages:' Common, dwarvish. *'Favored Class:' Encrusted Berserker. 5e Dwarf Racial Traits * Ability Score Increase: Your Constitution score increases by 2. * Speed: Your base walking speed is 25 feet. Your speed is not reduced by wearing heavy armor. * Darkvision: Accustomed to life underground, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of grey. * Dwarven Resilience: You have advantage on saving throws against poison, and against spells (as well as spell-like effects) that require Constitution saves. You also have resistance against poison damage, and automatically stabilize after 3 rounds of being at 0 hit points unless continued damage forces failed death saves. * Caste System: As a dwarf, you are a member of one of the four dwarven social castes: warrior, merchant, laborer, or casteless. Once you choose your caste, you gain the benefits listed below. These benefits never change, even if you change castes during play, as these abilities represent things learned while growing up in that caste. ** Warrior Caste: You gain proficiency with the battleaxe, handaxe, throwing hammer, warhammer, light armor, and medium armor. Additionally you have advantage on rolls made to resist being knocked prone from any source. You gain proficiency with shield bashing. Wielding a shield in your off-hand counts as dual-wielding for you, with your shield capable of dealing 1d6+Str bludgeoning damage. This does not affect its bonus to your AC. When adjacent to an ally, if an attack hits your ally's AC but would miss yours, you may use your reaction to force the target of the attack to become you instead. ** Merchant Caste: You gain proficiency in the Persuade and Sense Motive skills and in land vehicles. You can always find a buyer for loot that you are selling if in a community of at least town-size. You can cast the suggestion spell (save DC 8 + proficiency bonus + Charisma modifier) by fast-talking your way through a conversation. This can be done again after a short or long rest. You can cast the identify spell as a cantrip. When purchasing Trade Goods you pay 25% less than normal price. This increases to a 50% discount at level 11. ** Laborer Caste: You gain proficiency with one of the following tool kits: smith's tools, brewer's supplies, or mason's tools. If you are already proficient in that tool, your proficiency bonus is doubled with that tool. Additionally, whenever you make an Intelligence (History) check related to the origin of metalwork, stonework, alcohol, or gemstones, you are considered proficient in the History skill and add double your proficiency bonus to the check. Your carrying capacity is double it's normal value. ** Casteless: Your hit point maximum increases by 1, and another 1 every time you gain a level. You have resistance to fire and cold damage. * Languages: You speak, read, and write Common and Dwarvish. Dwarvish is full of hard consonants and guttural sounds, and those characteristics spill over into whatever other language a dwarf might speak. Category:Races